Improvement in stove-grates



W. B. HosFoRn;

STOVE-GRATE. No. 169,544, Patented Nov. 2,1875.

M Wicnesses: I':

A E'g his Attorneys,

7 QCZ/QA/Z UNITED arm es PATENT Qrrron.

WILLIAM B. HOSFORD, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS.

*I'MPROVEM ENT IN STGVE-GRATE'S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 169,544 dated November 2,1875; application filed April 21, 1875.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. Hosroan, of the town of Maywood, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvementsin Furnace and Stove Grates, of which the followingis a completespecification:

The principal object of this invention is to render the 'clinkers andother coarse incombustible material readily removable without seriouslydisturbing the -fire and it consists partly in a combination of catchingand releasing devices with hinged grate-sections, as will be hereinaftermore fully described.

Another feature consists in the arrangement for shaking the grate toremove ashes, so that it may be done without dumping.

In the drawings, Figure l is a general perspective view of my invention,partly broken away to show the operative mechanism. Figs. 2, 3, 4:, and5 are detached details, showing the operative features fromdifferentpoints of view.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan of the dumping-lever.-

Like letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures.

Thedrawings illustrate my improvement as applied to the grate of anordinary heating-furnace. The' grate is circular in outline, and isdivided into two semicircular sections, hinged at the line of division,and arranged to drop or dump at their outer edges.

Let A represent the fire-chamber above the grate, arranged to receiveany desired form of radiator, and B the ash-box below the grate. O G aresections of the circular grate on which the fuel rests. The straightcentral and adjacent bars a a of the grate-sections are extended back toform journals b b, which rest loosely in bearings in the ash-box B.These bearings support the grate behind. At the front the bars a aextend forward, and are much elongated to form cylindrical journals 0 c,which pass through an opening, it, in the upper part of the ash-box Band the screen or front plate D, and rest upon the upper plate of thedepressed portion B of the said box. This supports the grate in front.

To keep the grates up in the proper horizontal position, and to enableeach section to be dropped or dumped at will, I provide thegratesections, at their outer edges,-with lips 01 d, having, preferably,concave under faces, (see Fig. 5,) and attach to the inner sides of theash-box catches e 6, having their tops rounded V for the lipsd d to restupon. These catches are connected rigidly to cranks E E on the outsideof the ash-box by means of short cylindricaljournals, which pass throughthe sides of the said box and, have suitable hearings therein. To theextremities of the cranks are attached shifting-rods F F, which passforward and through the front plate D. These rods are provided withhand-loops at the outer ends, and suitable stops gg to prevent too muchmovement. The elongated journals 0 c are provided with projecting pins hh, which stand upright when the-grate-sections are in place. Adumping-lever (shown in plan in Fig. 6) is provided with a hole, 73,near the end, an elongated opening or slot, j, and a conical projectionbetween the two.

Having thus described the several features of my invention, I Will nowexplain its operation. If it is desired to dump the left-hand section 0of the grate, the dumping-lever G is hooked onto the pin h, precisely asshown in Fig. 2, the hole '6 in the lever engaging with the said pin,and the right hand grasping the handle of the lever. The shifting-rod Fis now drawn with the left hand, which has the effect of moving thecatch 6 from beneath the lip 41 on the grate-section G, and the lattermay be dumped gradually or let fall suddenly, as desired. The catch c-isbrought again to its ver tical position by the action of gravity uponthe crank E or, if that will not suffice, the rod F must be pushed back.When the grate-section is brought up again to its horizontal position,the lip 11 presses back the catch 0 and passes above it, and the saidcatch drops; .or springs forward and again assumes its supportingposition under said lip.

I prefer that the catches e 6 should have snug oscillatory hearings inthe sides of the ash-box, and be elastic or springy in their nature; butthey maybe rigid and non-elastic, have loose bearings, and be soarranged as to drop back to their respective positions under the lips 11d by the action of gravity.

It will be observed that when the grate-sections are in their usualhorizontal position the pins h It are vertical, or nearly so. It willalso be seen that the opening n in the front of the ash-box and frontplate, through which the journals 0 0 pass, is elongated laterally. Theobject of this is to enable the grate to be shaken.

'lhe dumping or shaking lever G is hooked onto the pins h h, preciselyas shown in Fig. 3, the flat side down, and the slotj engaging one pin,and the hole 1' the other. The grate may now be shaken, either byimparting a horare old, and have been long in use, and make no claim tothese features; but,

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1'. A grate for stoves or furnaces made in sections, and provided withjournals 1) b and 0 c and lips d d, in. combination with the catches ee, cranks E E, and shifting-rods'F F, all arranged to operate togetherin the manner shown, and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a dumping-grate, of the sectional grates O G,catches e e, cranks E E, and shifting-rods FF with the pins h h anddumping-lever G, the latter constructed as shown, and all arranged tooperate substantially in the manner shown, and for the purposesspecified.

3. In combination with the sectional grate C 0, having journals 0 0,provided with pins h h, the dumping-lever Gr, provided with a hole, 0',and elongated slot j, to engage with the said pins, substantially in themanner shown and for the purposes herein set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM B. HOSFORD. Witnesses: I

JOHN M. FISHER, J. M. PHELPS.

